Can MAHA Grow the GOP? New Data Shows Surprising Potential to Expand the 2026 Republican Coalition
New research shows that Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) could motivate younger, more moderate, and more diverse voters—offering Republicans a unique opportunity to expand their base ahead of 2026.
Despite relatively low levels of voter awareness compared to MAGA, the MAHA movement shows strength with younger, more moderate, more diverse, less partisan voters. However, opinions are not strong, showing the need to define the movement on favorable terms.
WHY IT MATTERS
In a polarized political environment, elections are won on the margins. A movement like MAHA – capable of bringing in new voters – could make the difference in 2026 and beyond.
WHAT WE TESTED
Comparison of awareness, favorability, and potential 2026 impact of the MAHA movement in comparison to the MAGA movement.
To reflect real-world political context, we introduced MAHA and MAGA to respondents as reform efforts associated with President Donald J. Trump rather than free-standing brands.
Click on the image below to read the full report…or read the summary below.
Awareness and Understanding
MAHA: 39% of voters say they know to what the MAHA movement refers. Most correctly associate it with access to healthy food, but many also confuse it with unrelated issues like cracking down on health misinformation and lowering prescription drug prices – revealing a knowledge gap and opportunity to define the brand.
MAGA: 80% of voters say they know MAGA, and their understanding is much clearer. Most correctly associate it with cracking down on illegal immigration and banning biological males from women’s sports, with few mistakenly tying it to progressive goals.
Favorability and Partisan Breakdown
MAHA: 53% approve, 33% disapprove. Target voters (center-right voters who are undecided or leaning on the generic ballot) are most likely to say “don’t know,” indicating room to persuade.
MAGA: 50% approve, 46% disapprove. Stronger polarization means fewer undecided voters and less flexibility to expand.
📊 The major gap is in disapproval—MAHA has fewer detractors, largely due to lower awareness. That’s both a risk and an opportunity.
Voter Motivation and 2026 Impact
Among all voters: 13% say they’re more likely to vote for a MAHA candidate than a MAGA one. 29% say they’re equally likely to support either. That’s 42% of voters positively motivated by MAHA-branded candidates.
Among 2026 undecided voters: 14.4% say they’re more likely to vote for a MAHA candidate than a MAGA one, approximately 1.5% of all registered voters (2.8 million). 18.7% are equally likely to support either, roughly 2.0% of all registered voters (3.6 million).
Among 2026 GOP voters: 12.6% are more energized by MAHA than MAGA, approximately 5.6% of all elected voters (10.4 million). 57.6% are equally likely to vote for either, about 25.4% of all registered voters (47 million).
Among 2026 Democratic voters: 12% prefer MAHA to MAGA, approximately 5.4% of all registered voters (10.1 million). 6% are equally likely to vote for either, roughly 7% of all registered voters (5 million).
Taken together, MAHA-oriented messaging could resonate with about 43% of registered voters (around 80 million), including 23 million who show distinctly higher motivation for MAHA than for MAGA. Because baseline awareness is low, the ceiling could rise or fall sharply as exposure grows.
🧠 Bottom line: MAHA resonates across party lines. With effective messaging, it could energize an estimated 23 million additional voters in 2026.